MIKE MORAN: Pondering AG race, Sam Sutter is the right kind of politician

Let’s quickly get all the complaints out of the way. Politicians are evil. Career politicians are even worse. They shouldn’t hold one office and simultaneously run for another. They don’t care about us. All they care about is getting elected and reelected.

Let’s quickly get all the complaints out of the way. Politicians are evil. Career politicians are even worse. They shouldn’t hold one office and simultaneously run for another. They don’t care about us. All they care about is getting elected and reelected.

Feel free to add a few of your own.

Now let’s consider Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter’s possible quest for the office of attorney general. Then ask yourself if these old talking points accurately describe what he’s up to. I did. Here are my answers: no, no, and no.

First of all, give Sutter credit for not mincing words about his interest in the position now held by the current Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley. Most politicians give vague answers when questioned about their political future. They talk about mulling things over, conferring with advisers, consulting with family, and taking a potential campaign “under consideration.”

Not Sam. He put it right out there, just as he did when he ran unsuccessfully for Congress a few years back. He may not have made a firm decision yet about the AG’s spot, but he’s not shy about letting us know that he has an appetite for the job. As he told Will Richmond of The Herald News, “I will be one of the first to announce, if not the first one in.” That doesn’t sound like a guy who’s timid about letting us take a peek at his future plans.

No trial balloons, no playing coy — that’s not Sam Sutter’s style.

The truth is, as much as we don’t like to admit it; some people are just good at politics. And by that I mean both parts — running for office and serving in office. A lot of politicians can do one, but not the other. Sutter appears to handle both roles rather well, despite his past primary defeat by U.S. Rep. Bill Keating.

But we love to hate politicians; it’s a pastime for many, and an obsession for some. Still, you’ve got to hand it to those who simply understand and operate comfortably in the political and governmental environment.

I hold in high regard the ones who comprehend the intricacies of policy and who know how to navigate the bureaucracy, effectively advocating for those they represent. Granted, we know that these same talents can be used for self-serving purposes when exercised the wrong way by the wrong politician.

And that’s when the voters come in. Maybe if more of us voted and carefully scrutinized the candidates who seek our support, we could be better at weeding out the ones who disappoint us once elected. And even if a political rotten apple slips through, voters have the opportunity to defeat them in the next election and replace them with a better candidate. That is, if more of us paid attention and voted. But, I digress.

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Sam Sutter candidly admits that prosecuting Aaron Hernandez will raise his public profile and position him more favorably for a statewide run. While some may find that posture to be a bit exploitive of a chilling crime, you really can’t argue the fact. This district attorney is actually saying out loud what other potential candidates might be too shy, unsure or frightened to tell a reporter or the public. Achieving a positive high profile, of course, presumes that he gets a conviction in the case. And if he does, he may very well become a household name and a well-known brand throughout Massachusetts.

Lots of people use the terms politician purely in a pejorative sense. They’re convinced that honesty and straightforwardness are incompatible with seeking or holding political office. And if a politician also happens to be a lawyer, like Sam Sutter, some would consider that a double-whammy.

Sam Sutter doesn’t fit that stereotype.

I expect him to run for attorney general, even though he’s left the door open for a re-election bid as DA. But whichever decision he makes, you can expect him to make it quickly and I’m sure he’ll be frank about the reasons behind the choice he makes.

Mike Moran is a well-known SouthCoast media personality. Email him at mikemoranfr@aol.com.